Joseph esson and john esson



(No Model.)

JOSEPH ESSON 8v JOHN E'SSO-N.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented Nov. 20,1888;

fifnessas UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH EssoN AND JOHN EssoN, OF PARKDALE, ONTARIO, oANADA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,999, dated November 20, 1888. Application filed March 8, 1688. Serial No. 266.636. (No model.)

ing building, has merely to fasten the ends of 5:

To aZZ whom it mayconccrn:

Beit known that we, JosEPH EssoN and JOHN EssoN, both mechanics, and both of the town of Parkdale,in the county of York,in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have jointly invented a certain new and Improved Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to design a portable and yet a strong device by which a person can safely lower himself to the ground from the window of a burning building without assistance from below or without any personal risk; and it consists, essentially, of two strands of wire wound in opposite directions around two pulleysjournaled onthe same spindle and supported between compressible jaws having loops formed in them below the pulleys to receive a waist-strap, the whole being otherwise arranged and operated substantially as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure l is a view representing our improved fire-escape in operation. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective detail of our fire-escape. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of Fig. 2.

A B are two strands of wire, each one of which should be capable of standing a strain of at least two hundred and fifty pounds. The wire A is wound round the pulley C in one direction and the wire B round the pulleyD in the opposite direction. These two pulleys arejournaled on the spindle E, and have friction-disks F formed on them to butt against each other. A piece of leather or rubber, G, may be placed between the disks F. The pulleys CD are, as stated, journaled on the spindle E,whieh passes through the center of the jaws H. These jaws H are made as light as possible consistent with proper strength, and are shaped so as to form friction-disks on the outside of each pulley, the said jaws being compressible. At the lower end of the jaws we form a loop, I, to which a double loop formed on one end of the body-strap J is connected. The head K of the jaws H forms a guide for the wires AB, and also forms a handle which the party using the escape may grasp.

The device just described is so light that it may readily be carried bylany. traveler who, should he unfortunately be caught in a burnthe wires A B to a bedstead or other heavy article of furniture in the room and place the body-strap round him, as indicated in Fig. 1, when he can proceed to lower himself to the ground. His weight on the strap J compresses the jaws H together,so as to cause the friction on the disks F to prevent the pulleys O D revolving too fast, the wires A B being wound in a reverse direction on their respective pulleys. Should he find that he is not descending as fast as he wishes he can raise his weight off the strap J, by grasping the head K, asindicated in Fig. 1. By thus transferring his weight from the loops I to the head K the compressing-strain on the jaws is relieved, and the pulleys O D will revolve more freely and pay out their wires more quickly.

Although we prefer to use wireit being the lightest material in proportion to its bulk we can securewe do not wish to confine ourselves to that material nor to the use of any particular material in the construction of our device.

WVhat we claim as our invention is- 1. The combination, with the two pulleys provided with friction-disks and their spindle, of the compressible jaws on said spindle and formed with loops, the independent wires wound on said pulleys in opposite directions, and the body-strap attached to said loops, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a fire-escape, the "combination, with the compressible jaws and the two pulleys journaled on a common spindle between said jaws, of the two independent wires A B, wound on their respective pulleys in opposite directions, the body-strap connected to said jaws, and the head K on said jaws serving as a guide for the Wires and as a handle, and the body-strap attached to the other end of said jaws, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

Toronto, February 7, 1888.

JOSEPH ESSON. JOHN ESSON.

In presence of-- CHARLES C. BALDWIN, FREDEEIO BARNARD. 

